History – Lemon Myrtle Essential OilTraditional UsageThis may seem difficult to understand but at present there is no evidence of indigenous use of this plant.This may be because the tree is a little rare in the wild and the tree doesn’t smell a lot unless your tear the leaf, to open up the oil glands.Possibly also being a coastal rainforest tree, these areas were cleared of forest very early on and traditional use was lost.Early European UsageLemon Myrtle was first discovered by white settlers in 1856 and reported to renowned Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller around the Moreton Bay area of south east Queensland.By 1888 the first Lemon Myrtle essential oil distillation is thought to have occurred.There were several small distillations Lemon Myrtle essential oil from small wild populations of Lemon Myrtle trees, particularly around the Gympie area through to World War 1.When raw materials (lemon essences) were in short supply in World War 2, the tree was wild harvested again. Distillation again ceased after World War 2.Present Day UsageIn the late 1980’s Byron Bay based native food pioneer, rediscovered the tree, he reported to a newly emerging ‘bushfood’ or ‘bushtucker’ industry. The small industry jumped at this remarkable delicious flavoursome herb.It was eventually planted out in small plantations in the mid 1990’s.By early 2000, one or two farmers had developed good cultivars of the tree, some simple but effective harvesting and processing equipment was also developed. Lemon Myrtle tea has become a small but popular market.From the same plantations, comes the wonderful, rich essential oil.Typical Chemical Profile of Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil (Australian Standard 4941-2001) 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one trace – 2.9%2,3-dehydro-1,8-cineole trace – 0.9%myrcene trace – 0.7%linalool trace – 1.0%exo -isocitral trace – 2.0%citronellal trace – 1.0%cis -isocitral trace – 2.7%trans -isocitral trace – 4.3%neral 32.0% +geranial 44.0% +